Container ship sinking off the coast of New Zealand

Swells continue to hit MV Rena as it is stuck on Astrolabe Reef, on Nov. 3, 2011 in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Graeme Brown / Maritime New Zealand via Getty Images

The starboard side of Rena's deck is now largely underwater at high tide as it is stuck on Astrolabe Reef, Nov. 3 in Tauranga, New Zealand. The stricken vessel encountered high swells which led authorities to fear it may finally break up. Rena struck the reef on October 5, and has spilled 350 tonnes of oil, and almost 100 shipping containers.